Page 20 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 7

Chloe

My hair was longoverdue for a trim, so I booked an appointment earlier today at the salon. Once I told my stylist, Sofia, that I had a date tonight, she did things to my hair that I didn’t even know you could do. I tried to pay attention and watch her in the mirror as she curled and twirled my hair into long silky beach waves, but I knew I’d be watching YouTube videos for days after this. I was so happy with the result that I rewarded her with a big tip and made sure she sprayed my hair into place. These curls weren’t moving anytime soon.

I usually didn’t wear much makeup, which was why Kristen was now breezing through my door like a category five hurricane. “Wow! Your hair looks incredible.”

I stood aside in my plum dress that was short and flirty, but not too revealing. I looked down at my freshly-painted nails. “Thanks,” I said, waving her into the living room so she could work her magic. To say that I was nervous about tonight’s date was a massive understatement.

She gave me a once-over. “I bet you’re glad I went shopping with you earlier, huh? That dress looks amazing on you.”

I woke up this morning after a shitty night’s sleep and sent her a text asking if I should cancel. She texted right back and said, “Absolutely not.” Then I sent her a photo of three different dresses I had picked out, asking which one she liked best. She replied, “None of them. You need to wear a dress that was made in the last decade and not something that looks like a prop off the set ofThe Golden Girls.”She then invited herself to the mall and forced me to try on dresses that I normally wouldn’t give a second look.

So here I was more stressed than ever, but at least I had a really pretty dress. I just wanted tonight to be perfect, but my insecurities were getting the better of me. Normally I wasn’t filled with so much self-doubt, but Jack Jenson wasn’t just anyone, and Kristen wasn’t helping. She stared at me like I was a pathetic mess.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

She frowned at me. “Because I can see the wheels spinning in your head. Your hair looks gorgeous, your dress is killer, and yet you look like you just escaped a mental institution.”

My fingers tightened against the fabric of my dress. “You’re just being dramatic. I’m perfectly fine. I’m just nervous.”

She wrinkled her nose in disapproval and threw her hands on her hips. “And you’re a shitty liar. You look two seconds away from having a breakdown. What gives?”

I walked into my bedroom and flopped down on my bed, feeling defeated. I ran my hands down my face. “What the hell do I know about dating? I live a life that consists of cooking, cleaning, and helping my son with his homework. My idea of a good time is binging on Netflix.”

She studied me a little too closely. Her stare made me uncomfortable. “I know you don’t get out much, but Jesus. You’ve gone on dates since Tanner, right?”

“I’ve had a couple dates over the years, but nothing as big as this one. Actually, I’m not even sure I would consider them dates. One was just a casual meeting for a cup of coffee, and the other one was a double playdate that was set up with a single dad.”

“Damn.” She shook her head. “This is going to be more work than I thought. Was your dad a Christian minister or something?” Her words were laced with sarcasm. “Was your mom a Sunday school teacher? You sound like my aunt Deeanna who meets her men at a potluck in the church basement.”

And here I thought she was here to pump me full of words of encouragement. “Kristen. Please…” I pinched the bridge of my nose and wished I had called Carly instead, who was a lot less high strung. The only reason I called Kristen was because Carly was unavailable and I was desperate for help.

She held her hands up. “Okay, fine, but let’s get a couple things straight. She pointed one of her long, painted fingernails at me that looked like they could be used as weapons, and then started to tick everything off, one by one. “First of all, you need to calm down. Second, he obviously likes you, or I wouldn’t be here helping you right now. Third, you’re gorgeous and way too hard on yourself. And last, you owe it to yourself to have fun tonight. So, stop stressing out.”

It’s been years since I’ve been on a real date. Having a child changed me in every way, shape, and form. What could he possibly want with someone like me when he could have any woman he wanted? Someone with no complications, no strings, and no responsibilities.

I stood up and started pacing the room. I felt like a teenager who was off her Ritalin. “I’m a single mom with absolutely nothing of value to offer him unless he wants me to bake him a tray of chocolate chip cookies,” I said, feeling the panic bubble over. “We come from two separate worlds, and he lives six states away from me.”

“And yet, here you are.”

I snapped my head to hers. “You realize this is a horrible idea.”

“Everything is going to be fine. You look gorgeous,” she tried to reassure me. “You’re a great mom who deserves to have a little fun too.” She shrugged. “If you really like him, you’ll find a way to make it work. Think of all the skyping and phone sex you could have. That can be pretty hot.”

“You’re a horrible friend.” I laughed, walking over to look out the window.The thought of tonight was nerve-racking.

I worried that he wouldn’t find me attractive enough. That we wouldn’t have enough to talk about. That he wouldn’t find me interesting enough. Because while he was jetting between deals across the country, I was jetting between serving coffee at the diner and selling chocolate for a school fund-raiser. What if things were awkward and I made a complete idiot of myself?

She spun me around to face her. “Why don’t you go pour yourself a glass of wine or two while I get everything set up.”

I sighed with relief when I remembered that she brought her cosmetic bag. She had every tool and gadget you could imagine. The girl practically lived at Sephora. It wouldn’t surprise me if she received a hand-signed Christmas card from the CEO every year.

“Thank you,” I said, pulling her into a hug while trying to keep it together. As much as she drove me crazy at times, I was thankful for her friendship.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table just as I was walking into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Jack’s name lit up the screen. I opened the text and smiled.

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